


just love me right

by kimjongwaee (jirml)



Series: love defying gravity [2]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M, Other Characters - Freeform, i try to funny
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2018-04-29
Packaged: 2019-04-07 21:27:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14089998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jirml/pseuds/kimjongwaee
Summary: companion fic to Love You Rightmight want to read that first to understand thisWhat happened, but in Baekhyun's POV(kind of)





	1. for some reason, it's a heart pounding day

**Author's Note:**

> working title: Love You Right Ver. B(aek)  
> haha
> 
> the actual fic for the prompt turned out a lil bit gloomy  
> so i tried to make this more funny, cute, all things happy
> 
> now, i currently have 5 chapters that i'll be posting in intervals for now  
> hehe but we'll see if i'll add more like bits and pieces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FYI!  
> Minseok, Luhan, Baekhyun, Chanyeol — Sophomores (2nd Years)  
> Jongdae, Sehun — Freshmen (1st Years)
> 
> Beagle Line are the same age so Sehun is still younger than Jongdae, it's just that if you recall in LYR, Jongdae took a gap year.  
> As for Minseok, Luhan, Baekhyun, Chanyeol, they are not the same age, but for reasons unknown (for now ;)), Minseok and Luhan are in the same year as them
> 
> anyway, enjoy :)

Baekhyun is tired. _Three days_. For three days straight, he’s been rushing to finish his assignments. It’s not a result of procrastination, no, it’s just the demanding downsides of his chosen study.

Med. Science.

Out of everything he could have picked, he chose the one course where late nights studying and memorising weird terms were an expected must, and the irony lies in the fact that the students have to sacrifice their own health to pass the course.

Anything for the good of humankind. And his parents.

His parents had wanted him to be a doctor and who was he if not a filial son.

He’s not really complaining— okay, he is— it’s not that bad considering he has quite the intellect. But his past two years in college has taken a toll on him, and he’s barely surviving.

Two more years. Two more years and then he’s done.

For now, he rests. He needs to make use of his well-deserved rest before the painful cycle starts again next weekend.

Yes, now, he has to go out and meet his friends. He has yet to decide whether meeting those idiots is equivalent to rest or not, but anything is better than being stuck in this hellhole of a dorm littered with heavy duty medical textbooks.

So he grabs everything he needs from his organised mess and takes off.

It’s a nice day. The sun is actually out and shining but thankfully clouded so the rays aren’t overbearing. The campus is lively; the usual protests, some enthusiasts going around asking to talk about their ‘cause’, then the number of cliques laying around lazily, and some extras playing around the park. The mood is contagious and Baekhyun takes lively steps towards the opposite direction of the bus stop, deciding to take advantage of the nice weather.

It’s just a short walk anyway _, and these muscles could use a leg day._

He walks leisurely, taking his own sweet time even though he knows it’s five past the agreed meeting time.

_Chanyeol and Sehun can wait._

He then passes by a poor lad sleeping on a bench, a newspaper covering his body as a makeshift blanket.

_Aww, a hobo._

_Poor, unfortunate man. He even looks quite young._

Being the blessed, gracious soul that he is, Baekhyun takes out his wallet and fishes out some coins— bills would be too much and he’s not that well off himself— and looks for a can or something beggars usually lay out. He grins, spotting a white Starbucks cup placed neatly beside the man’s head on the bench.

_Wow, hobos have style nowadays._

Ignoring the oddity, he drops the few coins into the cup. He also chooses to ignore the very distinguishable sound of water drops his actions caused.

Feeling satisfied and accomplished with his act of kindness, he continues his stroll to the cafe. Then he hears the hobo wake and shout in surprise at his cup.

 _Wow, he must really be desperate if a few coins could surprise him that much._ Baekhyun thinks distractedly as he turns around to the hobo again.

The hobo actually starts shouting at his direction in a language Baekhyun can’t pick up.

 _Mandarin._ He realises after a few seconds of the man wildly gesturing at his cup. He looks clean for a hobo, but his bushy, downturned brows need trimming. It makes him look mean.

The hobo is still gesticulating at him in Mandarin. He must be trying to express his thanks to Baekhyun.

So Baekhyun smiles at him, “No problem, man, just trying to help,” and then turns once more to leave, leaving the outraged ‘hobo’.

“ _I don’t need your help! Fucker ruined my coffee_!” he hears the man shout, in English this time.

 _Ah, it must mean he can now buy coffee_. Baekhyun concludes, a bit amazed at the hobo’s bilinguality. A Chinese hobo who can speak English sleeping on a bench in Korea. Amazing.

Baekhyun sighs again contentedly. What a lovely heart he has, fitting for this lovely day.

_Oh, lovely day._

But it’s starting to get boring. Won’t be for long though since he knows Chanyeol with his funny, seemingly dumb antics, and Sehun with his dry humour will soon entertain him.

He starts to pick up his pace when he sees the cafe coming into view.

And then he notices a figure walking from said cafe in a fast pace.

It’s a man. A young man. _But not just any young man_ , Baekhyun thinks as he observes the figure more.

 _A cute, young man._ He announces excitedly in his head.

_Oh, lovely day indeed._

The young man seems to be caught up in his thoughts as his lips purse into a pout, his thick brows in a crinkle as he looks down at the floor. He looks like a kicked kitten and it sends a bolt of cute aggression straight to Baekhyun’s heart. He whistles as his eyes reach the man’s cheeks.

_Holy sweet cheeks, those cheekbones though._

As they draw nearer to each other, Baekhyun decides to start bringing out his charm and thinks of ways he can talk to the cutie without seeming like a creep. He sees his chance when the man fails to watch where he’s going and Baekhyun can see exactly where _this_ is going.

And just as he thought, when the man takes another step forward, he trips on the kerb and fumbles around. Baekhyun takes his chance and shoots forward, saving the man from face planting onto the ground.

“Woah there,” he chuckles out, observing how the man is trying to get his bearings right. He’s probably still trying to get around that he almost fell. So Baekhyun helps him out by righting him up. _Cute_.

The man is mumbling something Baekhyun can’t decipher but he’s also distracted by the tiny pout on the man’s lips, so maybe it’s his fault. _Very cute_.

So when the young man bends down to start picking up his things, Baekhyun bends down with him to help.

“You need help sweet cheeks?” he asks, flirty smirk on his face and picks up something— not waiting for an answer. He doesn’t get one anyway as the man doesn’t speak or look up, he just shakes his head subtly and mumbles again.

Baekhyun observes him and sees the slight trembling of his petite hands.

“You okay there?”

He’s left unanswered again, he’s starting to actually get worried. Was the man hurt?

He was walking just fine when Baekhyun saw him. Did he twist his leg when he fell? Baekhyun’s eyes drift down to where the man was crouching, and considering he’s putting most of his weight on his legs, Baekhyun crosses out that possibility.

His hands are shaking quite badly though, Baekhyun’s frown grows deeper. He perks his ears up and pays attention to the man’s breathing. It’s in quick and heavy intervals. It couldn’t possibly be from the running, it wasn’t that strenuous.

There’s no visible injuries, and yet...

“Hey, you’re cute,” he pipes up suddenly, voice cheery. He is ignored.

“You’re pretty,” he tries again. Still, nothing.

Inattentiveness, he recalls the trip.

Lack of awareness, his compliments being ignored.

Seemingly detached.

A worried face. Trembling hands. Shortness of breaths.

Is the guy having a panic attack?

Baekhyun’s eyebrows rise in realisation.

He draws himself nearer to the man so he could maybe snap him out of his alarming state. He certainly wasn’t expecting the whip across his face soon afterwards.

Baekhyun actually falls on his ass from the unexpected force of the slap, his free hand coming up to touch his face.

“Oh my god, I am so sorry.” He finally hears the man’s voice, loud and clear this time.

He helps Baekhyun up, and Baekhyun's hand returns to soothe his sore cheek once he’s up.

“Wow, you didn’t hold back there,” he winces out bemusedly.

“I’m sorry, you just suddenly popped out in front of me,” the man replies timidly, taking the things Baekhyun’s managed to pick up from his hands and stuffing them hurriedly into his own bag.

“Well, I’ve kinda been calling you but you just blanked out,” he makes sure to sound light-hearted and cheery, adding a solid grin, to lessen the tension.

It doesn’t work though, and Baekhyun can see the stiffness in the other’s shoulders as he chuckles half-heartedly, motioning to take his belongings from Baekhyun.

“Again, really sorry about that,” his voice reverts back to its usual softness and Baekhyun strains to hear the rest of the sentence, “And, uh, thanks for the help,” he finishes, backing away slowly.

Baekhyun’s grin slowly fades off into a confused frown once he realises the man is trying to leave. He tries to call and reach out for the peculiar man before he could successfully leave, but he gets interrupted by a shout for bacon.

“Hey bacon, over here!”

He groans inwardly, knowing very well there’s only one idiot who uses that stupid nickname for him. So he looks on regrettably and watches the cute guy leave.

“Hey Bacon!”

Baekhyun clicks his tongue as his blue headed moron of a friend, who ruined what moment he had— as bad as it was— approached him from the other side.

“Yo, dude. You’re late _and_ still have the nerve to flirt around.”

“Shameless, I tell ya,” Another idiot, this time blond, pipes in in the conversation, snarky smile on his face as they tease him.

“Shut up, Chanyeol you ass. I couldn’t even get to that part. What with your bacon,” he hisses out half-heartedly, mostly due to his cheek still stinging, and also because he feels more bitter rather than angry.

“Byun Baekhyun losing his game? Well, that’s what you get for pining over a one-year break up.” Chanyeol guffaws as blond idiot sarcastically pretends to be shocked.

“Eight months! It’s only been eight! And I’m not pining anymore!” Baekhyun is triggered, arms flailing around as he tries to defend himself while his two friends only laugh at him even more.

“Yeah, sure. ‘ _Not_ ’ pining.”

“Oh Sehun, I am your hyung, show some respect!” he finally snaps at the younger and grabs his neck in a headlock, despite the other’s towering height advantage.

They continue their playful banter as people passing by look at them judgingly. After a while they settle down and start heading towards their original meet up point before the whole fiasco happened.

They enter the nearby cafe, which they ultimately regret the moment they hear loud wails, which upon no further investigation, obviously origin from an orange haired man. The three friends look on weirdly and sit down at a table far away from the scene and order their food.

After a while, the orange haired man quiets down and starts fighting with the purpled haired man sitting beside him instead. Baekhyun, Chanyeol, and Sehun stare unwillingly, too curious at what in the world is happening. The two man suddenly start physically clawing at each other, a passing waiter stepping in to stop and kick them out.

Baekhyun just shakes his head, “I swear, it’s the hair dyes that does this to you people. The chemicals did something to your heads.”

Chanyeol and Sehun furrow their brows at Baekhyun, whose head was an annoyingly unnatural, bright, fiery red.

“Unless you were born from the flames of hell and came out from the womb of Satan himself, I do not want to hear that coming from your ugly, red head,” Sehun sasses back flawlessly.

Baekhyun really wonders how his dongsaeng lost all respect for him.

They then start on their food when it arrives. They chat a bit here and there, catching up with each other. When they finish, they ask for the bill and reach for their wallets.

Baekhyun pats at his back pocket to find it empty ‘cept for his phone and keys. Panic and confusion start to rise in him slowly as he continues to pat around his jeans.

“Hyung?” Sehun glances at him questioningly, and pieces out the situation as Baekhyun frantically looks around him.

“Shit, I can’t find my wallet. I swear I brought it with me when I got out of the house,” he mumbles to himself as he continues to survey the cafe and outside through the windows, hoping that his wallet is miraculously lying on the floor where he dropped it.

“Well, when was the last time you saw it?”

Baekhyun stares at Chanyeol as he tries to recollect everything that happened to him today, the other two just stare back.

He remembers getting out of the dorm building, wallet and keys in his hand and into his back pockets after he locks up the house.

He remembers walking to the bus stop, and then changing his mind to walk the short distance to the coffee shop.

He remembers the fairly enjoyable walk, taking out his wallet to donate some coins to the poor hobo, and continuing on with his wallet in his hands. He was walking along lazily, not bothering about the time cause he knew the other two would be late too, when he saw a frenzied figure briskly making his way towards Baekhyun’s direction.

It was the cutie from just now. And Baekhyun can vividly remember admiring such prominent cheekbones, and then that whole bumping thing happened and—

“Sweet cheeks!” Baekhyun shouts out, an imaginary light bulb lighting up in his head. Chanyeol and Sehun jump in surprise, and Chanyeol blushes.

“Wow, thanks Baek, I honestly didn’t think they were that nice–” Chanyeol starts mumbling to himself, an embarrassed flush on his cheeks as he rubs them self-consciously.

“Not you Chanyeol. The guy just now. He took my wallet.” Baekhyun scolds himself internally as he thinks of all the things he needs in that wallet.

“A picker pocket!” Chanyeol shouts out scandalously.

Sehun and Baekhyun give him judging looks, how did he get into college again?

_On the bright side, I might get to see him again. He just has to figure out how._

“Sir, the bill?” Baekhyun just gives pleading looks to his two friends for now, who roll their eyes and pay for Baekhyun’s share of the meal.

“I’m sure he dropped it off at Lost & Found or something. No one would keep your tacky wallet even if they could.” Baekhyun rolls his eyes as Sehun supplies him with ideas. He doesn’t know if his friend is trying to comfort him about losing his wallet, or criticise his choice of fashion.

“Might I remind you, that tacky wallet you’re talking about was my gift for his birthday last year,” Chanyeol prattles in beside them, and Baekhyun just lets him fight the battle of respect for his wallet for him.

He’s currently leading them back to his dorm so they could hang out some more and they’re nearing the common area, so he turns back to silence their fight when he sees a familiar back at the reception counter talking to his RA.

It’s the same back he watched leave at the street in front of the cafe hours ago. As he approaches the counter, he hears the same hesitant voice that rang in his ears, and it brings a cheeky smile to his face when he hears his name with it.

He picks up his pace then, determined not to lose his chance of talking to the guy who’s been occupying his mind for the past few hours since they last met.

“Oh, yeah, Byun Baekhyun, I’ll just drop it off here then, and maybe a note if it’s okay.”

“Why not skip the note and tell me yourself?”

The back turns and Baekhyun is pleasantly not disappointed, it is the same guy from just now. Still as attractive, still as shy.

“Well, looks like I don’t have to do anything then! Hey Baekhyun, he was dropping off your wallet.” Junmyeon, his RA, smiles at them, expectantly waiting for some reply.

But Baekhyun’s too busy making eyes at the other man, who’s also somewhat staring at Baekhyun. Baekhyun thinks the guy might be interested in him too, Chanyeol and Sehun thinks otherwise, they think he actually looks scared, but they’ll keep that to themselves. Let Baekhyun handle it on his own.

So they roll their eyes at the obvious tension in the air, and continue their way to Baekhyun’s room. Sehun coughs obnoxiously as he passes by them while Chanyeol just pats Baekhyun on the back encouragingly.

“Junmyeon-hyung, you might want to get back to whatever you’re doing.” Junmyeon watches them head to Baekhyun’s room confusedly but heeds the advice anyway.

_Good brat, Oh Sehun._

_Now they’re well and truly alone._

“So-”

“Umm-”

They both start at the same time, and they laugh a little at the situation.

Baekhyun doesn’t really understand where all this nervous tension is coming from. He’s normally more confident and talkative, to the point where it’s overbearing— he’s been told.

Even when it came to prospective dates, he’s always boldly declaring his interest, and usually by his second sentence, he’s already asked the person out.

Maybe the brat was right and his _hiatus_ from anything romantic has worn him off.

But watching the man opposite him scramble around in his bag to take out Baekhyun’s missing wallet and handing it out to him with both hands outstretched, he thinks that _maybe it’s a little different_.

“Here, your wallet.” Baekhyun smiles, continues to do, watching the man stutter as he explains himself. “Sorry ‘bout that. And for bumping into you and all that,” he finishes off quietly, Baekhyun wants to squeeze him.

“And the slap.” The man tenses and bumbles around for explanations.

Baekhyun smiles fondly.

_Yeah, maybe it’s different._


	2. nananana, nananana

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this continues after the part where jongdae tells baekhyun his name in the original fic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> very very short chapter ahead, but enjoy anyway

“ _Jongdae_ , nice to meet you,” he loosens his grip around the arm he instinctively grasped for and the warmth around his palm slowly dulls back to its usual temperature.

He backs down away from Jongdae, _Jongdae_ , not wanting to test his limits.

He then graces him with one last smile before turning towards the hallway to his room.

“I’ll see you around, Jongdae.”

He doesn’t hear a reply, and he doesn’t chase one. He just continues walking, making sure to keep a composed pace, willing himself to not turn around. And when he finally reaches the corner to the hallway, he quickly ducks and slams himself into the wall to hide.

He lets out a deep puff.

“Oh-ho, so cool, Mr. Byun Baekhyun~”

Baekhyun turns his head sharply to the side and sees Chanyeol and Sehun with shit-eating grins on their faces. Baekhyun groans.

“Wow wow, Sehun, did you see that? How Baek just walked away so cooly after getting rejected? So cool~” Chanyeol squeals exaggeratedly, Sehun snickers along with him.

“Cut it out, idiot. Since when did you guys stoop to eavesdropping?”

Chanyeol and Sehun hook their arms around Baekhyun’s shoulders and laugh along at his statement.

“But, hyung, is it really okay to let him go like that?” Sehun asks off-handedly, picking his nails on one hand.

“Yeah, Baek, he seemed to be right up your alley. It’s weird seeing you give in just like that. You’re usually fricking pushy too,” Chanyeol side-eyes him and Baekhyun shoves them both off.

“I’m not pushy,” he grumbles out, “and it didn’t seem worth it.”

Chanyeol and Sehun glance at him uncertainly, the mood had seemed to suddenly take a downturn.

“I’m not really looking for anything serious anyway.”

He continues walking on straight to his room as Chanyeol and Sehun lag behind. The two flash each other knowing looks.

“Pining~” Sehun whispers comically to which Chanyeol snickers to.

“Hey!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it's a very short chapter like i said! i just didn't want to rewrite that whole scene again, cause it's repetitive  
> and also because rather than this being a full Baek POV of LYR, it's more of like insight to what's really been going on at a slower pace instead of Jongdae's panicked take/POV on their story  
> (lol, look at me making excuses for my lazy ass)  
> so yeah, this fic won't really repeat all the events that happened in LYR
> 
> next update, next week? haha


	3. i'm still lost in your orbit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enjoy~

Baekhyun can’t believe his luck.

He was just having a relatively bad day.

He arrived at the campus cafe at around 10AM to meet up with his project group, only to have them bail on him with various degrees of ridiculous reasons. So he decided to just do a little bit of work on his part in the cafe, might as well.

He then lined up to order coffee and brunch when he suddenly felt a very icy, _wet_ sensation on his back. The next thing he heard was a collection of apologies from a girl holding two empty cups. Empty because whatever was inside was probably all over Baekhyun’s back by then.

He sighs wearily and the girl, a worker there probably, offers her apologies more profusely. Baekhyun appeases her with passiveness, and gets out of the queue to go to the washroom instead.

Which brings us to the now, in the toilet, where he has been in for the past 30 minutes, drying off his coat _and_ shirt after cleaning them as much as he can. Of course, two cups worth of drinks would drench him that much. Even the waistband of his pants are a bit damp, but he’ll suck that up.

His shirt is almost done drying and he’s been here too long. His stuff are still outside on his table so he needs to go back out asap.

He puts on the dried shirt and assesses his reflection in the mirror. There’s a faint brown stain on the back and to the side against the white of his shirt. He’d put on the coat but it’s also still not dried due to its thickness. He’ll have to brave the fashion and cold in his state.

He sighs again as he gathers his coat and hangs it on his arm and leaves the washroom.

_This day can’t possibly get worse._

It can’t. But it _can_ get better. As the moment Baekhyun steps out of the door, he stops short seeing a suspicious figure peeking out of the wall beside them. The back is easily recognisable and with a slight turn of his head, Baekhyun identifies him.

“Jongdae?” he cheers, but the man isn’t turning around. _Maybe not?_

But those tiny hands, grabbing at the wall, that connects to scrawny but lean arms definitely belong to his recent eye candy. Not to mention, that side profile is unmistakable.

 _Hmm_ , now that he thinks about it, Jongdae had acted like this—aloof and detached— before. At the street where they first met.

 _Is he usually like this? It’s quite worrying. Maybe_ —

He goes in for a closer look, now a few steps just behind Jongdae. Again, Jongdae seems to be too distracted to notice. Taking a closer look, Jongdae’s got a worried, horrified face on… _again_.

Baekhyun gives him a fond, exasperated look.

Suddenly, Jongdae breaks his gaze and pulls out his phone. Baekhyun thinks he might reach him now that his trance is broken, so he tries again, “Uh, hi Jongdae?”

Jongdae doesn’t look up. He continues to fiddle with his phone. Baekhyun is amusingly baffled. Guess he’ll just have to physically make his presence known.

So while Jongdae is still typing on his phone, he reaches out and taps him softly on the shoulder. He wasn’t expecting the high pitched shriek in response. He thinks even the man himself wasn’t expecting that as he drops his phone.

Jongdae’s still got his back on him, and is turning around quite hesitantly.

Did he scare him that much? _Is he frightened? So cute~_

Once Jongdae’s fully faced him, Baekhyun can literally see relief wash over him.

“Baekhyun.”

_He remembers._

“Jongdae.”

Time seems to have stopped then.

And after that short moment, Baekhyun notices the phone on the floor and bends to pick it up.

“We seem to be meeting like this a lot,” he chuckles out, “and I’m always picking up your stuff." he stands up straight and throws Jongdae a grin. He receives a shy, curled smile in return.

Baekhyun would stare for as long as he could, but that’d be rude. “So what were you doing hiding in front of the men’s?”

His questions prompts a different response and Jongdae snaps his head back to where he was watching just now. Baekhyun follows his gaze and sees two familiar guys, one with a blazing orange head, the other with rich purple strands.

The bright colours spark a memory inside of Baekhyun, he now recalls seeing them in this same cafe some time ago. They were… _fighting_. He remembers something about _‘ruined the chance with the love of my life’_. Then they proceeded to maul at each other.

_Hah, does Jongdae know them too?_

“You avoiding them too?” he teases and captures back Jongdae’s attention.

“You know Minseok-hyung and Luhan-hyung?” Baekhyun hears a tint of attachment in Jongdae’s voice.

“Nah, not personally,” he shrugs, “Didn’t even know know their names. Just see them a lot here, and yeah, they’re weird enough for me to avoid them too.” He earns a small laugh from Jongdae, and he feels strongly captivated by the steady laugh.

_He’s so cute._

Jongdae abruptly stops laughing as though he wasn’t aware he even laughed. Baekhyun studies him for a while, fully endeared, so he looks down at the unlocked phone in his hands decidedly.

He exits the messenger application Jongdae was on, a conversation with ‘Soo Squishy ^o^’ opened with an incomplete text. He mentally snorts at that, of course Jongdae is the type to use cute nicknames and emoticons.

“So Squishy?” he asks rhetorically.

“It’s pronounced Soo Squi— What are you—” It’s even cute how Jongdae got riled up from the wrong pronunciation of the nickname.

Baekhyun determinedly opens the dial pad and keys in his number, then saving it as… _heh ‘Baekhyunee :3’_. He then rings the number so that he’ll have Jongdae’s number too.

_‘Even when countless nights come~ In my sky, only you shine~’_

He hears and feels his phone ring as it vibrates in his back pocket. He nods in satisfaction then, ends the call, locks the phone, and hands it back to Jongdae.

“Sorry ‘bout that. But there was something wrong with your phone.” Jongdae stares at him, at a loss of what happened.

“Which was?”

“It didn’t have my number in it.” He states self-assuredly, presenting Jongdae with a cheeky grin. The man’s not getting pissed or ready to leave or worse; slap Baekhyun _again_. Baekhyun takes that as a good sign.

“And mine didn’t have yours,” he pouts exaggeratedly, now more confident to flirt around.

He wins the pleasure of watching Jongdae’s face transit from confusion to joyful delight like a movie. Jongdae is laughing, out loud, no holds barred, and it’s beautiful how his whole face lights up the whole area. The dimly lit hallway corner they were in seems so much brighter now.

 _Oh._ If Jongdae really were a movie, it’d be one he’d a watch a billion times over and again.

He takes in the chuckling man in front of him, appreciating the way those sharp cheekbones contour the soft face, long lashes sweeping said cheekbones as Jongdae’s eyelids close in his state of laughter.

Baekhyun’s particularly amazed at the way those lips curl up so perfectly at the edges, framing perfectly lined teeth and a tongue that Baekhyun notices is almost sticking out as he laughs. He doesn’t stop Jongdae, in fact, he could stand there all day, just staring at and listening to Jongdae laughing.

After a few beats, Jongdae finally calms and a lasting beam graces his face. Baekhyun swells with resolution as he decides then and there that he wants to see this man more often.

“Hey Jongdae, do you support the school soccer team?” he asks absent-mindedly, still encaptivated by that smile. He vaguely remembers Chanyeol mentioning their school soccer team playing the season's semis this weekend.

“Oh, yeah, kind of? I have a few friends on the team.” Jongdae answers, his eyes unconsciously glancing back at where his hyungs were. An action Baekhyun doesn’t miss.

_Those two are on the team? Woah. Totally do not look like they would be._

The topic of conversation are both sitting at their table… _squabbling_ ... _again_. Both Jongdae and Baekhyun observe them shortly, albeit with very different thoughts in their heads.

_The day I met Jongdae… was also when I saw them. Jongdae was leaving the cafe. Was Jongdae running away from them?_

Baekhyun diverts his analysis to Jongdae, who’s got a longing look.

 _Could_ — _!_

Jongdae turns back to Baekhyun and it startles him into talking again.

“G-Great, would you like to watch their next game with me?” he stumbled that, but Jongdae doesn’t notice, “This Saturday?”

A movie would really be a perfect metaphor for Jongdae. His face at least. It’s worth a thousand words, or in this case, an ocean of emotions.

Baekhyun watches in hilarity as Jongdae’s face expresses shock, disbelief, denial, heartbreak, panic, relief, then back to panic again. Baekhyun takes a moment to memorise all of it.

“So what do you say?” he asks softly. He doesn’t push, scared it’ll end up like the last time at his dorm. And so, he continues to watch the continuous array of emotions Jongdae is expressing with his face avidly. Right now, it’s on confusion.

_It’s so amusing, I don’t know if I should feel bad or not._

But despite the amusing situation, the atmosphere’s on pins and needles. No one seems to be moving as they both wait for Jongdae’s reply.

Baekhyun actually feels like he’s going to get cramps from standing still for too long. So he shifts his stance a bit to wait more cosily. _Might as well get comfortable, Jongdae looks like he’s going to take some more time_ —

“Yes!”

_Or not._

A grin slowly forms on Baekhyun’s face.

“I mean, yes. Sure. We can go together.” Jongdae shyly reiterates.

“G-Great! It’s a date.” Baekhyun beams.

Jongdae’s features once again take form in surprise and confusion. Baekhyun’s starting to think it’s his neutral form.

“Wai—”

“Jongdae?”

Both of them turn their heads at the newcomer, albeit Jongdae does so more vigorously.

“L-Luhan hyung,” Jongdae stutters out.

“I knew you were here,” This ‘Luhan’, the one with the orange head; Baekhyun notes, states confidently, dopey smile on his face as he stares down admiringly at Jongdae. Baekhyun senses caution at that, and that look borders on obsession. But he understands.

_Anyone would look at Jongdae like that._

“Luhan. I told you to wait—” Another new voice suddenly joins in. Baekhyun can’t see Jongdae’s face, he’s sure it’s a pretty picture though, but he can see his body is horror-stricken and stiffer than it’s been.

“But I was right, see? Jongdae’s here. With company.” His optimistic expression soon turns unwelcoming and Baekhyun can feel the daggers Luhan was sending his way. _If looks could kill..._

Baekhyun sees the two of them assessing him sharply, and he even tenses up at their glares. “Jongdae, is he bothering you?” The purple one asks.

They’re quite protective of Jongdae, Baekhyun can tell. And judging from the warm look Jongdae is giving them, they must be really good friends.

“It’s alright, hyung,” Jongdae starts, “he’s a friend.”

Baekhyun can hear the question mark in that statement, the other two probably could too as their glares don’t rest, Luhan’s ones even sparks darker.

 _But if they’re Jongdae’s friends…_ He has to make a good impression here.

“Hi. I’m Baekhyun. You guys must be Minseok and Luhan,” he begins, Baekhyun may have a long way to go till he gets his PhD as a medical student, but he has a Master’s in Bullshitting 101.

“And how do you know that?” Luhan asks distrustfully.

And it’s in situations like this where he shines.

“Jongdae told me. You’re both in the school soccer team right?” He hopes he’s right, he’s just assuming things from what he’s observed from Jongdae.

“Jongdae told me. I can’t wait to see the game this weekend,” he marvelled. Lesson Number 1 in Bullshitting; always be confident.

And now that he’s ruffled up Luhan and Minseok’s ego, they start relaxing a bit around him, and before long, they’re actually conversing about soccer and the school team.

But, Newsflash: Baekhyun knows zero shit about the sport. It’s just a bunch of sweaty men trying to kick balls into nets. But he tries anyway and keeps up with these soccer dunderheads as best as he can.

He throws in some opinions—good ones, of course— he’s heard around the campus. Their school soccer team _is_ quite the household name, and people nowadays love giving out their opinions despite no one asking for them. It’s all good.

He’s getting tired and running out of nonsense to spout two minutes into the conversation though. His eyes drift to the side to where Jongdae is, whose presence seemed to have disappeared for a while.

He looks downcasted and out of place. Baekhyun worries about him. So he coughs softly to end the conversation and stages his leave.

“Hey, I’d love to talk more, but I best get going. It was nice meeting you guys,” he offers his hands to both men, and sighs inwardly in relief when they take it.

Then he turns to Jongdae brightly. He touches the man so he could look up and meet Baekhyun’s gaze, and when he does, Baekhyun gives him an encouraging smile, “And I’ll text you later, alright?”

He hears a soft ‘sure’, and gives the man one final wave, which Jongdae shyly returns, before finally going back to his table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next update, next week? will see  
> and i wrote/added another chapter so the final chapter number is now 6  
> yayy *claps*


	4. i can do this all night long baby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All opinions on soccer and how it is an inferior sport is not to be taken seriously. It was for plot progression, I am sorry if it offends anyone. lol. enjoy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello, i'm sorry this took such a long time :< i have no good excuse other than being a lazy ass. my personality has reared its ugly head... err but, the update also kind of took longer because of other reasons. so please read end notes!!

It’s nice to see his things weren’t stolen or taken away by the staff in his almost an hour absence.

He gathers his stuff quickly, he wants to just go home and change into more comfortable clothes. And maybe do some research, in-depth research. On soccer.

He struts out the cafe decisively and heads to the bus stop. He checks the arrival time of the next bus and sits down to wait.

Baekhyun takes out his phone then and sees the missed call notification from an unknown number on his lockscreen. He grins from ear to ear as he saves the number as Jongdae with the heart eyes emoji. Is that going too far? _Nah._ He still changes the emoji to a smiley one though.

He opens a new conversation with him giddily and sends out his first text.

 

 _hey jongdae!! ;)))_ _  
_ _it’s nice that i’ve finally got your number haha_

 

_That was a good one. Hehe._

 

 _i’m so excited for this saturday_ _  
_ _i can’t wait!!_

 

Is he being too enthusiastic about this? _Nah._

 

 _so… since your hyungs are regulars on the team_ _  
_ _does that mean they can get us the best seats in the house?_

 

Hah. He really needs to get back and start on his research. Jongdae is friends with soccer fiends, so he must know quite a bit about soccer more than the average person. He needs to impress him too.

He hears a vehicle pulling up and sees the bus. He quickly gets up and boards it. Baekhyun doesn’t bother taking a seat since he gets off in two stops.

Pulling his phone up again, he expects a reply, but all he sees is a clear photo of his dog as his lock screen, his lovely puppy he left back in his hometown with his parents.

Doubtfully, he opens up the conversation again. Jongdae really hasn’t replied.

 

 _hey you haven’t been answering_  
_jongdae did you block me???_  
jongdae??

 

The bus has arrived at his stop before he knows it and he gets off. As the bus leaves, he remains standing at the bus stop staring at his phone as he opens up the chat again.

 

 _sweet cheeks~~~_ _  
_ _don’t ignore me : < _

 

Baekhyun pouts exaggeratedly not caring that he is a grown man pouting to himself in public.

_I’m cute and handsome anyway. It works cause I have this face._

He’s brought back by a ‘bing’ from his phone.

 

_That’s not my name_

 

He replied!

 

_And it’s a college game, it’s free seating_

_yay, you replied :3_  
_what a party pooper :P_  
_then we’ll just have to meet early then_  
to get the best seats

_Okay, sure._

_but honestly, any seats are the best as long as i’m with you_ _  
_ _;)_

 

Baekhyun smirks triumphantly proud at his reply.

_That was smooth, Byun._

He nods to himself all smug and pats himself on the shoulder.

 _Hah, eat that Oh Sehun._ What was that about him losing his game? _I still got it man._

He pockets his phone and finally walks to his dorm. He swiftly goes to his room, not forgetting to sign in—he got hell from Junmyeon that one time he forgot to.

And when he’s back in the comfort of his room, he throws his bag and stuff, and plomps himself on his swivel chair.

He grabs his phone again, gets cosy, and stares at his chat with Jongdae.

The last text is still from his side. Still unreplied.

_Annny time now. Any time._

Baekhyun’s patience runs thin though. When he chats with friends, it’s usually an endless, continuous amounts of random messages. It’s like they’re trying to upstage each other with how much and how fast they can reply.

Jongdae, however. He’s quiet. Reserved. Shy probably. Just like how he is in real life. Oh, but he saw his messages with that Soo Squishy guy, it was full of emoticons, the traditional black and white kind.

He hopes to reach that kind of closeness level with him where Jongdae is sending him those kind of texts.

Now that he thinks about it, he doesn’t really know much about Jongdae. He doesn’t even know what field and course Jongdae is in.

 

 _hey, jongdae, what course you in?_  
_i never got to ask_  
_you look like a cute math nerd_  
lolol

 

Again, he’s waiting for Jongdae’s slow reply. While he waits for it, he might as well introduce himself too.

 

 _i’m in med. science :P_  
_hoping 2 b a kick ass doctor in de future_

 

He blabs more about what he does in his course. His struggles, his pain, the nights spent not sleeping to do his assignments.

 

 _heh, but everyone’s like that i guess_  
_and i still enjoy the things i learn i think?_  
_It’s kina fun knowing how to dissect someone_  
_i can’t really say its my passion though_  
_i enjoy it but if i could i’d pick something  cool like crime studies_  
_bang bang_  
_kkkk_  
_hais, i’m still talking to myself :[_

 

He pouts again as he makes his sulking obvious to the other through his texts.

 

 _did you realy block me_  
_sweet cheeks : < _  
_sorry if i’m being really annoying :’(_  
_i just really like you TT_

 

_woahhh Byun Baekhyun. Take a chill pill and calm down. Am I getting too excited because it's been quite some time?_

For once, he's actually letting that brat get to his head?

He exits the system's messenger app and opens up his browser instead. He notes down off-handedly to ask Jongdae if he has Kakao or Line—he prefers to use them when talking online. The stickers are cute and they add to the mood.

On a new tab, he searches soccer. Google provides him with the Wikipedia definition and a few pictures. Some suggestions for football clubs and players. And... he is bored.

Baekhyun never saw the appeal in the sport. Baseball maybe; it was an intelligent sport. Many would argue football was too, or other sports. But seeing that the basis for it was 'shoot the ball in the opposing net without getting caught', then he rests his case.

But he tries anyway. Researches not only of the general soccer, but also on his school team and exactly why the whole campus was obsessed with them.

The school team has their own instagram, _holy shit_. And with a good following too. More than Baekhyun's. _Urgh_.

Baekhyun isn't a show off—though some might argue— but he must say, he is quite the Mr. Popular, extending even to other schools in the city.

Dubbed ulzzang, top visual, idol trainee, etc. Not to mention, he is very active on social media. Of course he's gained quite a following.

But this. This @SoulKicks actually has a thousand on him.

_Unbelievable._

_That name. The pun. Eurgh._

His phone dings and a notification banner drops down from his status bar.

Jongdae replied!

 

_sorry, i was on my way back home_

_!!!!_  
_Yay, i feel so happy every time you reply me hehe TT_  
_talk to me_  
_tell me about yourself_  
_ <3 i wanna know more about you~_

 

_Again, slow down there, Bacon._

He grimaces at the cringy nickname Chanyeol gave him, but still fondly uses it sometimes.

He chats with Jongdae while continuing his research, expertly switching from the messenger app to his browser and Instagram.

He finally finds out things about Jongdae. He's younger, which isn't a surprise to Baekhyun, and what the heck, @SoulKicks' page is filled with team photos, but mostly of Minseok and Luhan and two other dudes. But mostly of the first two.

Seriously, he knew the school soccer team was a really big deal in the campus. He hears about them and their matches all the time. Sometimes even Chanyeol, the dude too up in his ass about his DJ system, takes a break from talking about bass and drops to talk about the 'intense game'.

They're almost like an idol soccer team.

 

 _I like music._ _  
_ _I want to create and share my own one day._

 

Jongdae's in Music Education. He's from the Arts Department. Seoul Hangwa College's Arts Department. SHC was formed as an Arts School but reformed to be more a diverse education institute ten years ago, but the school is still widely known for its Arts.

SHC is in no way a prestigious institute, but their Arts Department is top notch in the whole country. It only accepts the best into its Arts programmes. Baekhyun's practically talking to a genius prodigy right now.

_Well shit._

Jongdae's amazing.

He tells him so but Jongdae ignores his comment and Baekhyun shrugs it off and starts a new one. He asks if he sings, or play instruments, then continues his _research_ while waiting for a reply.

He scrolls through @SoulKicks' instagram page, scowling at the individual photos. He opens some out of curiosity and the comment sections are toxic.

 **fchooxx** china man   
**kmy88** get of the team  
**he_r5** luhan lao ban   
**man.u.fan** Exceptional player. Foresee pro teams scouting him if they haven't already.  
**engbeb97**    
**yoo_hk1** lol you think your pretty face can shoot balls for yoy???  
**etk.km** @yoo_hk1heard he sucks them instead 

Thirsty college girls, jealous haters, angry soccer maniacs, rare proper comment from an enthusiast.

They're hardly appropriate to discuss with Jongdae. The man probably wouldn't care. Baekhyun recalls him saying he doesn't have Twitter or Instagram. He doesn't doubt that.

Speaking of, now they're talking about colours and Jongdae likes pink.

How cute, surprising, and oddly befitting.

Baekhyun imagines Jongdae in a full pink ensemble from head to toe and giggles at the aesthetic of it all.

He's scrolling down the page again to see a photo of Minseok, Luhan, and... Jongdae.

He clicks on it speedily. The picture is recent, about two weeks ago. The caption says "Star players celebrating with their number 1 supporter in heart-warming hug." As it suggests, in the picture, Luhan and Minseok are caught running towards the open arms of Jongdae who was on the outskirts of the field. Luhan is nearer to Jongdae, reaching him first, and the frozen moment doesn't ruin the unbidden happiness on his face, eyes only for Jongdae.

Minseok's back is to the camera so his expression can't be seen. Jongdae's is a subdued gleeful one.

But Luhan's one really catches his attention. He looks... stupid. Stupidly in love.

Baekhyun yet again questions the relationship between them.

So far, from his observations, they seem very suspicious.

First was Luhan's tantrum he threw that time Baekhyun went to the cafe with Chanyeol and Sehun.

About the love of his life, might you be reminded.

That day, before Baekhyun witnessed the humouring display, he had crashed into Jongdae who looked like he was running away from the cafe... or Luhan.

And then just now. Jongdae was hiding.

Baekhyun joked about him avoiding them, but now that he takes a step back to look at the bigger picture, maybe Jongdae really was?!

But he had a weird longing look on his face.

Then there was Minseok and Luhan who was being overprotective of Jongdae.

Moreso Luhan.

 _Could_ — _!_

 

_Oh, I do sing. I only play piano a bit though._

_oooooooh, i play the piano too. quite well i must say_ __  
_e need to collab one day_ __  
_probably aint as good as you though :p_   
but willing to try haha

 

Okay, so here is Baekhyun's theory. Hear him out here.

Luhan and Jongdae are the starstrucked lovers who are currently in a lovers' spat.

And because of this spat, Jongdae, with his meek and docile personality, chose to avoid the head on fight.

But he still loves Luhan and longs to be together with his lover once again.

Luhan too is devastated with the absence of his match. And is throwing tantrums and blame to his confidant, Minseok.

Or something along those lines.

Yeah, basically Jongdae and Luhan are together but fighting.

Does this mean Baekhyun's reached a dead end? Again?

First, there was—err, she who must not be named. He might look like it, but he isn’t a player or someone with a whole lot of experience in this romance business. His first ever serious relationship crashed and burned when the other party upped and left. No word for him whatsoever.

And now, when he’s actually trying to forget about the past and move on, he’s already hit a dead end a few steps into this maze.

Man, he has no luck in love routes.

He's snapped out of his daze by a long shout of "Bacon!" from his phone. He calms down soon after realising it's just his custom ringtone for Chanyeol. He opens the message, on his Kakao this time.

 

 _therealest_pcy:_ __  
_yo dood_ __  
_you coming or nah?_   
if nah i'm totally giving away your seat to this cutie

 

_Oh shit._

He totally forgot he had a lecture this afternoon. _Shiiiiiit_.

It was an elective module he took with Chanyeol so they could actually have a class together. What with Chanyeol in Engineering and Baekhyun in Medicine.

Unimportant since it was an elective, but Baekhyun still hated skipping lectures. So he quickly packs up his things again, groaning when he realised he still hasn’t changed out of his sticky shirt, while he excuses himself from his conversation with Jongdae. A conversation he has been proudly upholding while multitasking.

He ends the conversation with a loving _ttyl_ and high tails out of his room.

Thoughts of Jongdae and his theorised relationship with Luhan, and where Baekhyun is placed amongst all that in his mind.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry pls read next chapter.


	5. *extra, extra, read all about it*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is not an update but a long, important Author's note that was too long for the Author's Notes section for the previous chapter update.
> 
> And sorry to disappoint but this is not a double update :<

So reasons why this update took so long

1) i'm a lazy bitch

2) my DAYS are BLOOMING. **BLOOMING DAYS**.  
IS BEAUTIFUL. THE SONG. THE AESTHETICS. CBX. JONGDAE. The lives, the performances, more Jongdae content TT content which i am always desperate for and can never be satisfied with. ANd YES BEBS YOU CAN BE MY BOYFRIEND YTF YOU HAD TO ASK?! ok then actually it was because I was in such a good mood that I wanted to post an update quicker. Until...

 ****3) Jongdae's Racist Remark (+Scandal)**  
Honestly, like almost every international fan, my korean is limited, and I can't understand very well or fully without subs, so I just watch whatever videos like a dumb person laughing along when they laugh. And so I didn't really pick out whatever racist comment he made. Until I saw tweets of support, hate, announcements of leaving fandoms, etc. And I was so confused. More research into the situation and I finally understood what was going on. My heart hurt. My heart hurt from all the hate Jongdae was getting. My heart hurt from fans abandoning EXO because of the situation. My heart hurt from Jongdae's remark (whether intentional or not). My heart hurt for fans who were affected by his comment.

I love Jongdae with all my heart. And I of course want to protect the baby. However, I am getting mixed feelings from how some fans reacted. I hate that there were fans leaving without fully understanding the situation. I hate that there were fans who defended him quite immaturely without fully understanding the situation too. And I hate that there were haters who were jumping at a chance to drag Jongdae and EXO.

I don't wish to add on to the situation when it's already quite settled down. But I do wish to let my readers know ((no matter how small my audience is)) my stand on things. **Racism is a very serious topic and should not be joked about/commented on so lightly.** What Jongdae said disappointed me greatly and I waited long for an apology of sorts. However, I do not think it is right to blame him entirely and call him racist. I think he is just, to put it not so nicely, ignorant to a certain extent. And I don't blame him. I think overall Korea is still quite traditional and close-minded. His remark was based off a cartoon he watched from young. To him, and probably others his age, it was okay. It is sad, but it is the truth of the situation in some countries like these. They are improving but not there yet. Anyway, I'm not saying this to make light of his actions or its consequences ((And this goes out to everyone when it comes to scandals)), but merely to tell those jumping to conclusions (fans, haters, neutral parties alike) to think of the bigger picture.  Instead of lashing out at him, we can raise the issue and make him and others understand. Instead of coddling him, we should accept that he has his shortcomings and make him learn from it.

I am still quite heartbroken and disappointed with the situation. At this point of time, I realise that there will probably be no statement/apology from his side. In the end, the issue has only blown up in the international side as Korean EXO-Ls are largely overprotective of the boys and have defended Jongdae wholly without really understanding the hurt it has caused international fans.

But like a mother whose child has wronged, I still love Jongdae and I am hopeful for him and the rest of the K-Industry to learn from these situations even if they come out unscathed from it.

I'm sorry for this author's note that is longer than the actual chapter update lols. i just had to let this out of my chest. sadly, i don't really have friends who have the same tastes as me, so I'm a lonely K-fan TwT

anyway i hoped you guys liked the update! i honestly can't say for sure when the next update will be, so sorry bahaha TT blame my lazy ass and real life.

OHHH and **CHENPIONSHIPS** , GUYSSSS i am in no place to be giving advice as an author bahaha but for those of you interested please just go ahead and claim a prompt!!!!! Like I understand that insecurity of not knowing whether you're good enough or whatever, if that's what you're worried about, I feel that way too and honestly I have not met a creator who has not hated their work before. I still feel that way everytime i write and read the shit i do :'-) But trust me! It's better to try and know for sure, rather than regretting that you didn't. If you try and still regret, then suck it up then bahahaa. but don't lose hope man! we all don't start out good, take it slow and improve. write and write, whether it's for your own self-indulgence or what. as shia lebouf would have said it, JUST DO IT. i as well am struggling to improve my writing with the little leisure time that i have, but i am so happy that i decided to join the Thunderlight Fest last year. and you could be too if you GO JOIN CHENPIONSHIPS BY CLAIMNG A PROMPT. and if you're not insecure or whatever and just doubting, well come on go and claim a prompt dear.

lolols, sorry i just really want someone to claim the prompts i liked. i need to see it written TT especially the Kris/Chen one about the observatory!! and there's more interesting ones too so go check it out mofos! right now, you only have about 4 hours if you reading this now. SO HURRY. LET'S BASK TOGETHER IN THE GLORY OF ALL THAT HE IS, THE FUNKY LORD CHEN.


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